For a long time, a resin tube has been widely used for piping for transporting a fuel or other piping.
When such resin tube is used for piping, typically the tube is used in combination with a quick connector for allowing a simple and quick connection with a mating pipe.
In this case, it can be unnecessary to swage a metal fitting on an end portion of a rubber tube for connection of the rubber tube with the mating pipe as in the case that the rubber tube (rubber hose) is used for piping.
With regard to an example of this type of a quick connector, one such example is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 below, and construction of such quick connector will be explained with reference to FIG. 24.
In the Figure, reference numeral 200 indicates a resin tube, reference numeral 202 indicates a mating pipe with which the tube 200 is connected.
The mating pipe 202 is formed with an annular projecting portion 204 on an outer peripheral surface thereof.
Reference numeral 206 indicates a quick connector, which has a tubular connector body (here, entirely made of resin) 208 and a retainer 210 also made of resin.
The connector body 208 has a nipple portion (press-fit portion) 218 as a connecting portion to a tube 200 on one axial end thereof, and a connector housing 220 on the other axial end thereof that has a retainer holding portion 219 of a socket shape. Inside the connector housing 220, O-rings 212 as sealing rings are retained together with a middle ring 214 and a bush 216.
The nipple portion 218 is a portion to be press-fitted into the tube 200 in an axial direction, and is formed with annular ribs of saw-edged cross-section with acute angled peaks on a plurality of points of an outer peripheral surface thereof, along an axial direction.
The connector body 208 is connected to the tube 200 by press-fitting the nipple portion 218 into the tube 200.
During that time, these annular ribs formed on the outer peripheral surface of the nipple portion 218 bite in an inner surface of an end portion of the tube 200 that is swollen and deformed by press-fitting to lock the tube 200.
On an outer peripheral surface of the nipple portion 218, an O-ring 212 as a sealing ring is retained, and an air tight seal is provided between the nipple portion 218 and the tube 200 by the O-ring 212.
The above retainer holding portion 219 in a form of a socket shape, is a portion for receiving and holding the retainer 210 inside. The connector body 208 is connected to the mating pipe 202 via the retainer 210 held therein.
The retainer holding portion 219 has window portions 222 apertured through a tubular wall thereof from outside to inside, and arcuate fixing portions 224 that define the other axial end portions of the window portions 222 as shown in FIG. 25 for fixing the retainer 210.
The retainer 210 is a C-shaped annular member or a member of C-shaped cross-section as a whole, and is resiliently expandable in a radial direction due to its resilient deformation.
The retainer 210 has fixing recesses 226 to fit to the fixing portions 224 of the retainer holding portion 219 from radially inside in axially fixed relation, engaging pawls 228 for locking the mating pipe 202 by engaging with the annular projecting portion 204 of the mating pipe 202, and arcuate fitting recesses 230 continuously to the engaging pawls 228 for fitting the annular projecting portion 204 therein from radially inside.
The retainer 210 also has generally tapered inner peripheral cam surfaces 232 and outer peripheral cam surfaces 234, and tabs 236 for resiliently diametrically contracting and deforming the entire retainer 210 in a radially inward direction.
In the quick connector 206, the retainer 210 is axially inserted and held in the retainer holding portion 219, and in this state, when the mating pipe 202 is inserted in the connector housing 220 through an opening of an axial end thereof, the retainer 210, specifically the engaging claws 228 resiliently spread apart in the radial direction due to abutment with the annular projecting portion 204 of the mating pipe 202 and allow passage of the annular projecting portion 204 therethrough.
And, as soon as the annular projecting portion 204 reaches positions of the fitting recesses 230, here the retainer 210 contracts in a radially inward direction due to its stored resilient force to engage the engaging claws 228 with the annular projecting portion 204 and hold the mating pipe 202 at an inserted position in locked state.
Meanwhile, as the case may be, while the retainer 210 is initially attached on the mating pipe 202, the mating pipe 202 with the retainer 210 thereon may be inserted in the retainer holding portion 219 to fix and hold the retainer 210 in the retainer holding portion 219.
With use of the quick connector 206 in this manner, the tube 200 may be connected to the mating pipe 202 easily and quickly.
By the way, in case of connection with use of the quick connector 206, when the mating pipe 202 is incompletely inserted in the quick connector 206, namely the mating pipe 202 is incompletely connected to the quick connector 206, there is a fear that an inside fluid leaks out, and for that reason, a checker for verifying complete insertion of the mating pipe 202 is installed and added on the quick connector 206 and correct connection of the mating pipe 202 and the quick connector 206 is verified by removing the checker from the quick connector 206.
FIGS. 25 and 26 show one example of a quick connection device where the checker is installed on the quick connector 206.
In these Figures, reference numeral 238 indicates a checker made of resin, which has a pair of resilient legs 240, a base portion 242 by which these resilient legs 240 are connected to each other at root ends thereof, and a ring-shaped handle 244 provided on the base portion 242.
The pair of the resilient legs 240 are provided integrally with a pair of inwardly directed latching pawls 246 on respective leading end portions thereof, projecting toward an axis of the connector housing 220.
The checker 238 is resiliently held on the connector housing 220 in such manner that the latching pawls 246 on respective leading end portions of the pair of the resilient legs 240 are introduced to the window portions 222 of the connector housing 220 from outside by resiliently deforming the pair of the resilient legs 240 radially outwardly, and then the respective latching pawls 246 are latched with edge portions (latch portions) 250 of the window portions 222 of the connector housing 220 as shown in FIG. 26 (B), specifically constricted portions 248 of roots of the respective latching pawls 246 are latched onto edge portions 250.
At that time, the pair of resilient legs 240 embrace an outer peripheral surface of the large diameter retainer holding portion 219 of the connector housing 220 inwardly, and are exposed on the outer peripheral surface of the retainer holding portion 219 of the connector housing 220 so as to project therefrom, respectively.
The above base portion 242 of a shape longer in an axial direction is provided with a pair of catching portions 252, 254 on each end portion thereof for catching the large diameter retainer holding portion 219 between axially front and rear sides thereof.
And, one catching portion 254 has a lug 256 for latching to an inner edge portion of an opening on an axial end of the retainer holding portion 219.
The base portion 242 and the pair of the catching portions 252, 254 serve to restrain the checker 238 with respect to the connector housing 220. The catching portions 252, 254 catch the retainer holding portion 219 between the axially front and rear sides thereof in such manner that the base portion 242 closely contacts with a flat surface 260 of the connector housing 220. Thereby a posture of the checker 238 installed on the connector housing is stabilized.
When the checker 238 installed in the connector housing 220 is tilted and moved in the axial direction, the latching pawls 246 tend to be unlatched from the window portions 222, therefore, the base portion 242 and the pair of the catching portions 252, 254 restrain the checker 238 installed on the connector housing 220 to stabilize the posture of the checker 238 installed thereon.
The above mentioned pair of the latching pawls 246 includes slant cam surface 258 on sides thereof facing the annular projecting portion 204 of the mating pipe 202, as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 (A).
The slant cam surfaces 258 serve as releasing portions to unlatch the latching pawls 246, specifically the constricted portions 248 at roots thereof from the edge portions 250 of the window portions 222 and allow the resilient legs 240 to be removed out of the connector housing 220, due to abutment with the annular projection portion 204 when the mating pipe 202 is completely inserted in the connector housing 220. FIG. 26 (B) shows a state that the constricted portions 248 are unlatched from the edge portions 250 of the window portions 222 as latch portions in this manner.
Here, each of the pair of the latching pawls 246 includes a slant cam surface 262 on an inner side thereof. When the latching pawls 246 are unlatched as stated above, these slant cam surfaces 262 are caught on the edge portions 250.
So, the checker 238 is pulled in a direction perpendicular to an axis by grabbing the handle 244 in this state, the latching pawls 246 are displaced outwardly from the window portions 222 as the resilient legs 240 spread apart diametrically, and the checker 238 is removed entirely out of the connector housing 220.
And, the checker 238 is removed out of the connector housing 220 and collected, thereby insertion of the mating pipe 202 can be verified.
The checker-installed quick connection device as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 by way of example is disclosed in Patent Document 2 below.
However, the checker-installed quick connection device entails a problem that a space is required around the outer peripheral side of the connector housing 220 for allowing the resilient legs 240 of the checker 238 to be exposed on and projected out of the outer peripheral surface of the connector housing 220, and since the checker 238 is removed from the connector housing 220 by spreading the resilient legs 240 radially outwardly, a space is required around the connector housing 220 additionally for spreading apart the resilient legs.
So, for example, when the tube 200 is arranged in a limited narrow piping space, through components installed in a vehicle body according to a predetermined piping layout, in some case, the resilient legs 240 of the checker 238 projecting out of an outer peripheral side of the connector housing 220 become impediments, and make piping work difficult. Or there is also a problem of creating a fear that peripheral components or articles hit the resilient legs 240 during piping work in the limited space and thereby the checker 238 is removed from the connector housing 220 although the mating pipe 202 is not completely inserted in the connector housing 220.
Patent Document 1: JP-A 11-201355
Patent Document 2: JP-A 11-344182